The Sanctuary of Souls: Damu Monastery and the Legendary Skull Wall

The Courtyard of Impermanence

1.Located in Quze: Township (曲泽乡) of Biru County (Nagqu City), Damu Monastery (Damu Si) is a place that challenges the conventional boundaries of life and death. Situated at an altitude of approximately 4,500 meters, the monastery is set against a backdrop of desolate mountains and faces a flowing river,. While the monastery itself is a place of worship, it is most renowned for the Damu Monastery Sky Burial Platform located nearby, which houses a unique and solemn wonder: the Skull Wall (Ku Lou Qiang). Unlike other sky burial sites in Tibet where remains are typically disposed of completely, this site preserves the skulls of the deceased, arranging them into walls that stand as silent sentinels of history and faith,.

The Wall of Skulls

2.The Skull: Wall is an architectural manifestation of the Tibetan Buddhist concept of "impermanence." The site consists of a courtyard enclosed by walls built primarily of stones and human skulls. There are two main walls: a southern wall and a western wall, neatly stacked with hundreds of skulls,. These skulls are not meant to evoke horror; rather, they serve as a profound reminder of the cycle of life and the transient nature of the physical body. In the eyes of the locals and the monks, the skull is merely a vessel left behind after the soul has departed, and preserving it in this manner is considered a final act of charity and a solemn "farewell" to the physical world,.

A Tradition of Compassion

The origins of this unique tradition are linked to the first sky burial master of the monastery, Rjie Dan Qu (or Danqu Master). Legend has it that the master, believing the site to be sacred and possessing a layout resembling a "Mandala," decided to preserve the skulls from the sky burials. He mixed them with earth and stone to build the walls, dedicating them to the monastery as a form of protection and blessing,. Over time, this evolved into a custom where the skulls were retained and added to the structure. Today, the wall stands not as a symbol of death's finality, but of the release of the soul and the accumulation of merit,.

A Solemn Pilgrimage

3.Visiting Damu Monastery and the Skull: Wall is a journey into the depths of Tibetan spiritual culture. The site is open to the sky, surrounded by the raw beauty of the plateau. Visitors entering the courtyard are often struck by the silence and the visual impact of the neatly arranged skulls facing them,. It is a place for contemplation, where the boundary between the sacred and the mortal blurs. While it attracts curious travelers, it remains a functioning religious site and a place of deep significance for the local people, who view it with reverence rather than fear,.